SEPTEMBER 2009 

The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows

Our Lady of Sorrows memorial is Tuesday, the 15th.  It follows the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Monday the 14th.  This day was previously known as the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Dolor comes from Latin and means pain or sorrow.

Our Lady's seven sorrows are:

1.   The prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus (Luke 2: 34)

2.  The flight into Egypt of the Holy Family (Matthew 2: 13)

3.  The finding of Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem after three days (Luke 2:41)

The next four sorrows relate to Jesus Passion:

4.  The meeting of Jesus and Mary along the way of the Cross (Luke 23:26)

5.  Jesus Crucifixion where Mary stands at the foot of the Cross (John 19:25)

6.  Jesus is taken down from the Cross and Mary receives Him in her arms (Mt. 7:57)

7.  The Burial of Jesus in the tomb (John 19:40).

There were two feasts in honor of the seven dolors: the Friday after Passion Sunday (which is now combined with Palm Sunday in Lent in the Ordinary Rite), and September 15 which was granted to the Servite Order, the Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who have a special devotion to the Sorrowful Mother.  In the Ordinary Rite, it is now combined as the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.

The days in September that we honor Our Lady begins with the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tuesday, the 8th.  Saturday the 12th is the memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows the 15th, and Our Lady of Ransom is the 24th.

A prayer novena can be started nine days before each event to help us prepare for Her special days and receive blessings from Jesus, her Son.  It can be as simple as saying the Hail Mary and reflecting on the event, e.g. Her birth or name, or seven Hail Marys for the seven sorrows. 

Also, every Saturday has been "consecrated by the Church for devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM).  Since patristic times, Saturday was observed in memory of Mary's trustful faith during the first Holy Saturday, while Christ was in the tomb"  (Fr. Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary)  

The Virtue dedicated to the month of September is Prayer.

Fr. Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary defines prayer as "the voluntary response to the awareness of God's presence."  This response can be adoration, thanksgiving, expiation, petition or love.  Constant prayer, or prayer of the heart, is when we are always united with God, which means we are constantly ready to do the will of God (I Thess 5:17).

The Prayer of Adoration is acknowledgment of God's greatness and our total dependence on Him.  Thanksgiving Prayer is gratitude for benefits to us and others.  Expiation Prayer is sorrow for sins committed with pleas for His mercy.  Petition Prayer asks for needs and graces, for ourselves and others.  All these prayers are perfectly expressed in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

To "Pray without ceasing" where one always remains united with God, one need not be consciously aware of God's presence for that is implied when a person is always ready to do the will of God. 

As St. Augustine wrote: "The desire is your prayers; and if your desire is without ceasing, your prayer will also be without ceasing.  The continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer."

Sunday, September 27, is the Ss. Cyril & Methodius monthly Mass of the Saint Monica Sodality at 1:30 P.M.  We unite our tears with those of Our Lady of Sorrows and Saint Monica for the conversion of sinners; the souls Jesus gave His life to redeem.